


The Thing I Didn't Know I Needed

by voidboistump



Category: Fall Out Boy
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Sickfic, just a lot of warm feelings, warped2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-25
Updated: 2020-09-25
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:00:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26651809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/voidboistump/pseuds/voidboistump
Summary: Warped Tour is going great...until Pete gets sick and all his plans to pop the big question to Patrick go down the drain.
Relationships: Patrick Stump/Pete Wentz
Comments: 10
Kudos: 31
Collections: Warped 2020





	The Thing I Didn't Know I Needed

**Author's Note:**

> Warped 2020 Prompt: Sickfic
> 
> I've never done any sort of challenge like this and I'm super excited to get back into writing. I hope y'all enjoy!

It had been years. The lights went down and the crowd screamed as Fall Out Boy started off their Warped Tour 2020 set with a literal bang. The boys hadn’t been on this tour for years, but it was clear the fans had missed them. The energy was amazing, and they played their heart out. 

Patrick walked off stage with that natural high he always had, but this one felt especially good because it was freaking WARPED Tour. Of course the crowds and the adrenaline would be better than ever. Like clockwork, that familiar touch of Pete’s arm around his waist and the kiss on his cheek, followed by Pete’s whisper in his ear, “You were amazing as always,” before they parted to avoid being seen. That was the real rush to Patrick, doing this with his best friend. 

\------------------

Fall Out Boy is slotted for a private, VIP only acoustic set in one of the side tents on the last day. That leaves an entire day for Patrick and Pete to spend together exploring and just relaxing. Of course, they can’t go through the crowds, that would be a death wish. And showing any sort of physical affection in front of fans would be disastrous for their secret relationship. So the two of them have to settle for a walk at a local park. The sun is setting and it’s only under the cover of darkness that Patrick feels safe enough to reach for Pete’s hand as they find a comfy spot to stargaze. 

“Look,” Patrick points at the ground next to a jungle gym that has only recently been abandoned as parents hurry their children home, “it’s a whole thing of colors.” Pete turns his attention to where Patrick is pointing, and sees a box of sidewalk chalk. He smiles and gets on his knees with a small groan, picking out what appears to be a pastel purple. He slides the box over to Patrick. Patrick selects a bright yellow, and they get to work. 

Patrick is doing a very detailed depiction of the Warped Tour 2020 logo, while Pete is content to fill in a large heart with P + P in it. Patrick giggles to himself as he thinks about how cute Pete is. 

“It’s been so long,” Patrick lets his thoughts spill over to his words. 

“What was that, babe?” Pete doesn’t stop his work but leans in closer to his partner. 

Patrick gives out a wistful sigh. “It’s just that...we’ve been doing this so long. So many good memories and...moments like this just spent with you. I’m happy.” 

Pete smiles to himself. “It’s a wonder we aren’t married yet.” 

Patrick feels his face get hot and his mind go blank. This isn’t the first time Pete’s brought that up, but it still catches him off guard. Technically, they weren’t even dating, in the sense that neither of them ever asked the other one out. But they just naturally started being a couple, holding hands, kissing, not really seeing anyone else. It was like they were true soulmates, always returning to and finding each other no matter what the world threw at them. 

Patrick keeps working on his art. “You’re stupid, you know that?” Pete laughs and stands up, leaving his heart to live on the playground until the rain or sprinkler system washes it away. Patrick gets up and follows Pete down a small hill by the creek. This park really was beautiful. 

\-----------------------------

The sun has gone down and the two of them are still wandering the park, talking, grabbing dinner at a fast food place and picnicking at a bench, and now walking toward an open field. After all these years, Patrick still didn’t know how Pete managed to talk him into things like laying on the bare grass on a hot summer night to look at the stars. A few of them were peaking through the vast expanse of night sky already, as their hands slid through the untrimmed grass and found each other. Warmth, safety, it was all Patrick ever wanted out of life. 

“This is really it,” Pete’s voice drifts through the quiet to Patrick’s ears, “this is what the guidebook says on how to be happy.” Patrick felt warmth in his chest, because it was absolutely true. He was totally and completely happy. He wondered what he had done, what god he had appeased to deserve this, to deserve Pete pushing himself up on his side to face Patrick, to feel his lips press gently to his, to be lost in a moment with the most important person in the universe. 

Pete almost did it. He felt the urge in his chest. He could make the world right in this moment, by just asking Patrick to marry him. But it was too soon. He wanted that ring, he wanted the pictures, everything. This moment would have to be perfect without the perfect proposal. 

Maybe tomorrow. The acoustic set will have them on a high, and Pete could find something pretty to slide on Patrick’s finger before then, right? Sure, he would have liked to put a little more thought into it, but this was what he wanted. He would take Patrick back to this park, maybe somewhere different, and get down on one knee and just do it. It would be the perfect end to Warped Tour. 

\---------------------

Pete feels like shit the next morning. He avoids the rest of the guys as best he can, but Patrick notices something is up when they go onstage for their set and Pete can hardly force out a smile. He was grateful that it was only an acoustic set, which meant there was no mic for him to force himself to sing through a sore throat. 

Everyone meanders to the afterparty at some wealthy Warped sponsor’s house afterwards, closing out another absolutely amazing year. But Pete sneaks off by himself and goes back to his hotel room, feeling like death. He stumbles into his room, stripping off as many clothes as he can before collapsing into his bed, not remembering anything until he wakes up. It feels like years have passed. He groans and presses down on his phone. It’s nearly 1am, which means he has only been asleep for about an hour. His head is pounding and his body aches all over. Who knows what he picked up from all these crowds of people. He COULD be dying for all he knew. 

He pushes himself off the bed and shuffles to the bathroom. He stands there, examining himself in the full length mirror, nothing but a shirt and underwear on. He really doesn’t look well at all. His heart dropped as he realized that no one had messaged him to see where he was. They must all be too busy partying to really care. Besides, he did tend to go off by himself at times. This was normal. But maybe he should text Patrick at least, just in case he did die, they would know where his body was at least. 

Pete used the toilet and splashed water on his face, which did nothing to clear the building congestion. It literally felt like his entire face had mucus buildup behind it. Just as he was trying to make his way back to the bed, there was a gentle knock on his door. In his sick, dream like trance, Pete had to question if he’d really heard something or not. He groaned and changed course to the door. It felt like an eternity, but he finally made it and used the last of his strength to pull it open. 

The most beautiful face greeted him at the door, the one thing he needed but didn’t know he needed, the cure to his aching body. 

Patrick. 

He stood there, a grocery bag in hand and something tucked under his arm. “Good god, you really don’t look good,” Patrick said quietly, as he pushed his way into the room and set the things down on the floor so he could put an arm around Pete to guide him back to the bed. It felt like an angel had come down from heaven to gently place Pete back into the comfort of his sheets, and with the way Patrick looked at him with such concern and love, Pete was starting to question if Patrick really was a divine being. 

Patrick pulled the covers up around Pete and tucked him in gently, then went to work unloading the things in his bag. He placed something at the foot of the bed on top of a stool that sat at the hotel desk that no one would ever use. Pete heard Patrick slicing something and he smelled the sweet smell of orange. Then he sat carefully on the edge of the bed, placing an orange slice in front of Pete’s face. 

“Sit up a little bit and eat this ok?” Patrick coaxed Pete, and even though Pete wasn’t hungry, the coolness of the orange felt good on his aching throat. Patrick made him eat the entire thing, not stopping even when Pete tried to lift his head away in denial. 

“How did you know where I was?” Pete managed to ask through a raspy voice. 

“Everyone could tell during the set that something was off,” Patrick said, getting up to put the plate away, “I figured when you didn’t show up to the afterparty, that you had come back here. So I picked up some stuff so we could have an after party of our own.” Patrick turned out the lights and Pete could see him stripping in the dark until he matched him, just a shirt and underwear. Then he went to the stool he had set up earlier and flipped it on, bathing the entire room in little yellow lights. 

Patrick smiled to himself. “It’s one of those indoor constellation finder thingies,” he explained, crawling into the bed next to Pete and finding his body under the covers. “I figured if we couldn’t go out under the stars tonight, I’d bring the stars to you.” 

Pete felt like he wanted to cry. He pressed his face close to Patrick’s chest and let him wrap his arms around him, completing the safe haven where it didn’t matter if he was sick, he was exactly where he wanted to be. He looked up at the “stars” and knew this was it. 

He was going to marry Patrick Stump someday.


End file.
